Author(s):

B Rajendra Kumar, PVN Prasad, B Venkateswarlu, T Sreeltha and CH Mukunda Rao

Abstract: Rice (Oryza sativa L.)is an important cereal crop of India and it is the staple food for most of the Indians and occupies a significant position in the agricultural economy of the country. This crop is grown by adopting different establishment techniques. However, the traditional transplanting method done usually by hired labour encounters predicament due to vagaries in the monsoon, untimely available of canal water, escalating labour wages, time consuming, with more water required for land preparation, as well as crop establishment and finally inadequate plant population as a result of delayed planting. Late planting of rice affects growth and yield of not only rice but also succeeding crops, thus reducing the system productivity and profitability. The productivity of the soils largely depends upon the physio-chemical properties and also the management practices adopted by the farmers. Integrated nutrient supply concept involving both organic and inorganic sources has been known to mutually reinforce the efficacy of both these resources resulting in higher productivity besides maintenance of soil fertility(Prasad and Reddy, 1998). Cropping systems being dynamic result in judicious use of production resources, since nutrient management in cropping system is more complex than individual crops. Inadequate and imbalanced fertilizers in cropping system not only result in low yields but also deteriorate soil properties. In North Coastal Zone of Andhra Pradesh 45,000 ha of rice is grown under rainfed upland conditions (Ramana et al., 2007)and the crop response to applied fertilizers is inconsistent due to scarce moisture availability.

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